Pilot program gives La Crosse judges a guide

There is no science involved in determining when someone arrested for a crime should be allowed to post bond with a promise to return to court for their hearing.  That has become quite clear in La Crosse, where judges have been criticized by police for letting someone go free after their arrest, only to see them picked up by police, sometimes just hours later. Judges consider a number of factors when determining whether to grant bail to an inmate, including the severity of the crime and the accused’s likelihood to return for further court proceedings. But now judges in La Crosse County have a new tool for making a determination whether to release someone on a signature bond, cash bail, or hold them until trial. La Crosse is one of seven Wisconsin counties taking part in a new  pilot program that uses science to determine how risky it may be to release a prisoner. It is called a pre-trial risk assessment, and it uses a series of algorithms to determine the risk involved in setting someone free. Judges would then detain or assign bail to only the riskiest defendants. No matter how much science is used, this is far from an exact science. But it may be more effective than the hunch judges sometimes currently rely on.